Our World
by Elizabeth L. Sullivan
Summary: (SEQUEL TO OUR PLACE) After losing their child and being ripped apart by Praimfiya, Clarke and Bellamy find themselves in two different worlds. Her world is holding onto the hope that he's somehow alive, but in his world, Clarke is dead. No one on the Earth's surface could have survived the wrath of Praimfiya.
1. One

Bellamy walked through the halls of the empty GoSci Ring. His hand brushed lightly along the wall as he put one foot in front of the other. The sound of his feet dragging across the metal floor stood out from the machine hum and air flowing from the ducts. Everyone else was in the mess hall.

The seven on the Ring had just escaped the hand of death once more, leaving the eighth behind. For all they knew, they were quite possibly the only people alive, that is, if the bunker had not been sealed properly. Ever since they arrived back in space, they had yet to make contact with those in the bunker.

How was he going to make it five years when just five days had been so miserable? He had just been separated from the two people in the world he cared most about. Clarke was dead, and if Octavia were alive, his sister was hundreds of miles away from him and unable to make contact.

How was he supposed to bear the uncertainty of his baby sister's life? How was he supposed to go on without looking out for the very one he swore to protect as a child?

How was he supposed to go on without Clarke? They had just lost their child mere months ago, lost each other and eventually reconciled, but now he had lost her for good.

Who would be there to bicker with him over the smallest thing? Who would be there to talk with him about his past, his fears, and his hopes at any hour of both day or night?

How was he supposed to go on without them?

How was he supposed to go on at all?

Bellamy rounded the corner to face the large window that separated him from the burning world below. He inched forward until he came close enough to press his forehead against the cold, thick glass. Against his skin, he felt the slight vibration from the machinery that caused the Ring to function. He pressed his eye lids together, hoping to see her face appear in his mind.

He'd give anything to see her once more. If seeing her again meant facing the battles they once fought or his demons she helped him slay, he'd do it in the heartbeat she no longer had.

He opened his eyes, grasping on to his mental image of her. His brown eyes found the fiery planet.

Clarke had fought to survive in the Mountain and to save her people. She fought to piece herself back together, choosing to save herself instead of their relationship after losing their baby.

The first two months were the hardest. They both shut each other out, blaming themselves for what happened. The silence between the two grew long as their conversation grew short.

That same short conversations soon turned into arguing over the smallest things. It wasn't long before the leader of Skaikru packed her bags and left for the capital.

He assumed the reason she moved to Polis after their split was for finding comfort in Lexa's arms, but at the confirmation of his assumptions, he only then realized he had lost the best thing that ever happened to him. He suddenly realized everything they ever did wrong and what they should have done.

Camp Jaha was quickly over run by A.L.I.E. as was Polis after the death of the commander. Bellamy watched from a distance, but he could clearly see Lexa's death sent her over the edge. His heart broke for the woman he loved, but he kept his distance.

It wasn't until the day they defeated A.L.I.E that they reached a much needed breakthrough in their strained relationship.

_Her hand shook violently as Murphy moved the flame closer to the incision in the back of her neck. Clarke's eyes found Bellamy the second his hand grasped hers tightly._

_"I need you," her voice cried softly._

_"I'm here, Princess," His voice was deep as if he were hiding the emotion he held back, "I believe in you."_

_She did her best to smile softly at him through the pain she felt. She hadn't heard that term of endearment from him in so long, only then painfully realizing what she lost, but she couldn't think about that now. She had their people to save. He believed in her, giving her the assurance that she could do anything._

Bellamy looked back down at the earth once more with tears streaming down his face. His child and the love of his life— both forever gone.

He used the sleeve of his shirt to wipe his eyes before he turned to face the wall, striking it repeatedly until a bloody dent appeared where his fist had been, and he clutched his right hand with his left and cursed aloud as the pain surged throughout the nerves in his now swelling, bruising hand.


	2. Two

**Five Days Earlier**

"Bellamy," Clarke shouted out of breath as he turned away.

"Clarke," he spun around to face her, "if this is one of those moments where you tell me to use my head."

Her hand grabbed his, and their eyes met. He'd kiss her if it weren't for the helmets they both wore.

"No, I was just going to say hurry."

"You too."

With that, he squeezed her hand, and they exchanged their _I love you's_. Clarke watched him disappear into the white forest with Monty before she turned her attention to Raven.

"You got it?" Raven asked, making sure Clarke remembered the steps.

"Junction box. Sat Star One. Green flash. Send. Run like hell."

"You know what to do. Radio if there's a problem."

_If there's a problem_, Clarke thought. _There's always a problem._

Clarke took off in the direction of the tower. Only a mile, she told herself, but that mile seemed to be the longest one of her life.

Out of breath, she reached the satellite and dropped the bag from her shoulders into the snow.

**_Twelve minutes_****.**

Clarke opened the junction box, only stopping to find search for Sat Star One. She crouched to the ground and pulled the bag to her. Her hands hurriedly rummaged through the black bag until she pulled the tablet and wires out. She placed the tablet on top of the box and plugged the wires into the correct slots.

She stood to look at the tablet waiting impatiently for it to work.

"Dish aligned."

The automated voice was quickly followed by a green flash, just as Raven said it would.

Clarke found the send button and pressed it.

"Raven, I got it. I'm headed back."

"Roger that."

She let out a short breath of relief before looking down at her watch.

**_Ten minutes_****.**

She turned, leaving the bag on the ground, to run but stood frozen in her spot when she saw a man in a suit before her.

"Surprised to see me?"

"Emerson," Clarke said, half asking. The chills down her spine weren't from the cold snow.

"You killed every last one of my people."

"I was saving my people from yours."

"You and your friends may have survived that day in the airlock, but don't think you'll survive this one."

"So killing us is your way of revenge?"

"Oh no, this is my avenging my people. I've already gotten my revenge."

"What revenge?"

"Don't you remember that one night, months ago?" he added. He eased towards her, "Getting into the camp was easy, but getting past your little guards posted outside your door was more of a challenge."

"It was you."

"Of course it was."

"Where is she?"

"I haven't a clue. I got my revenge, and Azgeda offered me protection for the child."

"No," Clarke said, shaking her head. The very feelings she felt that night came rushing back as she collapsed to the ground in tears.

If Azgeda had her, surely, they had killed her as some sort of retaliation for Queen Nia's death or for joining the Coalition.

Why didn't she kill him that day in Polis when she had the chance? Maybe then, she and Bellamy would have their child. They wouldn't have spent that time apart.

Emerson watched as the woman before her hyperventilated in her suit. She was vulnerable, and that was his opportunity. With a knife in his hand, he lunged at her, but she quickly dodged him, causing him to fall flat on his face in the snow.

He pushed himself up and made a bee-line to the junction box, desperate to cut and rip out the wires.

"No!" Clarke shouted as she scrambled to her feet.

She fell forward crashing into the mountain man and tackled him to the ground.

He reached across the snow for the knife, slicing it against her lower calf muscle as she moved to kick it away from him.

Clarke fell to the ground and screamed aloud in pain from both her wound and the radiation seeping through the hole in her suit.

Emerson dropped the knife and crawled on top of her. He straddled her waist as his hands pressed firmly against her throat.

She struggled for the oxygen in her helmet and attempted to push him off of her, but it was no use. He was stronger than a her and much bigger.

The longer she fought back, distracting him, she thought, was more time for the rocket to take off, saving her husband and friends.

She shut her eyes and let a tear fall down her cheeks. She was ready to let go, to give up, but she couldn't.

Her fight was not over, not yet.

He destroyed her family, and she wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of killing her husband and friends too. She refused to let him win.

She felt the handle of the blade hit the tip of her fingers, and she grasped it tightly, ramming it into Emerson's side.

Her attacker fell over as she crawled away from him gasping for oxygen in her mask. She stood over him placing her foot on his back and pushing him into the ground.

He wasn't getting away this time.

This was her kill, not Praimfiya's.

Clarke stood over his body and leaned down. She grabbed a handful of hair and pulled his head back before leaning down and sliding the blade across his neck.

Her attention turned to the sky as a white cloud followed the rocket into the atmosphere. The bloody blade fell from her hands, staining the white snow.

They were gone.

Clarke raised her wrists and studied the countdown on her wrist.

**_Eight minutes._**

She spent the next eight minutes running for her life. She made it, barely, and scurried into Becca's lab, shutting the door behind her.

She ripped the helmet from her head and fell to the ground in a coughing fit. She rolled onto her side and continued cough blood up and onto the cold, white floor. Her eyes followed the staircase to the empty area where the rocket once sat.

Bellamy and the others were safe now. He was alive, and that was all that mattered.

She knew in that moment she was dying.

She could go now. Her fight was over.

"Ai gonplei ste odon. May we meet again," she muttered to herself as she slipped into a darkness.


	3. Three

Clarke filled the rest of her bag with her canteen and rations. Forty-two days had passed since the world ended, and she was already running low on food.

How was she supposed to live five years alone, starving and hungry?

Clarke gathered her things and took one last look at the interior of the lab. This seemed all too familiar- not knowing if the ground were safe, not knowing if she'd die as soon as she opened the door.

Her mind went back to her first few days in the lab. She remembered dying, or so she thought, but hours or possibly a day later, waking up to the burning, the blood and the vomiting. She was too disoriented and too dizzy to stand, forcing her to spent the first few days on the floor. She remembered the pain more so than anything else, but it slowly went away just as her blood mysteriously changed from red to black.

She took a deep breath and pressed her hands against the door, bracing herself for whatever was waiting on the other side.

_What did the ground look like now?_

As she slowly pushed the door open, the warm air hit her in the face, and the bright light from the sun blinded her eyes. She raised her arm up in order to shield her eyes.

Forty-two days had passed she had last seen natural light; since she had last seen another human; since she had last seen Bellamy.

It took a minute for her eyes to adjust to the sunshine, but when they did, they focused on the barren land before her.

The lake was gone, completely dry. There was nothing left but dirt. The world around her was a desert.

Clarke inched forward until her the soles of her shoes hit the dirt.

She muttered the same words Octavia had once shouted on their first day on the ground.

_I'm back_, she thought, letting out a quiet and short laugh at the cliche parallel.

She took the first step of many, beginning her journey to Polis. She had to tell the others that the ground was survivable. She was unable to communicate with them, and she knew she would have to open the bunker herself.

The journey was long and tiring. She was tired and weak, and her stomach rumbled out of hunger. She couldn't eat just yet; she needed to save her rations.

Clarke looked off into the distance as she slowly walked. Her mind was surely playing tricks on her. She was starving and dehydrated. The dark silhouette had to have been a hallucination.

She felt drops of sweat roll down her face. Clarke sighed in relief as she wiped the sweat from her face. Her sweating meant she was still well hydrated, yet it reminded her of the almost empty canteen on her back.

Clarke looked at the object once more, and her feet began to pick up the pace. She didn't have the energy for this, but if her possible hallucination was actually real, then she'd find the energy to get there more quickly.

She stepped up to the object nervously. It was the moment of truth.

Clarke grasped the metal handle and yanked it back.

It was real.

_The rover was real_.

* * *

Her second day in Polis had been just as unsuccessful as her first. She dug and dragged boulders away from the bunker door, but the rubble was too large and too heavy for her or the rover to move.

She found herself cursing aloud, kicking and screaming in anger and frustration as all that she had moved crumbled back down. The tiny bit of hope she held had now vanished.

* * *

The blonde climbed into the rover and began driving once more. Minutes felt like hours, and an hour felt like half the day.

The remnants of the bright, green forests she and Bellamy once ran through was now filled with emptiness and darkness. Something about it was haunting to her. She tapped the brakes with her right foot, and the rover came to a halt.

She stared blankly at the path before her. She was alone, and she had never felt more alone in her life. Her husband and her friends were up in space. The rest of her family and her people were trapped in a bunker. Her dad, her best friend and her baby were all dead. It was just her on the surface of this planet.

For a moment, she let herself imagine that she had a home to where she could return, but all that was left of her home was destroyed too. She had no home, and she was tired of living out of the rover.

Clarke climbed down from the rover and looked at her surroundings. She closed her eyes picturing the ground the way it once was- green and full of life.

She pictured the nights that she and Bellamy would sneak out of the camp and run off to their place. She smiled remembering the day she, Octavia, Jasper, Monty and Finn explored the woods. Sure, Octavia was attacked by the water snake and Jasper was speared by the grounders for crossing the river, but she smiled because she thought of the moments before then when it was just the five of them making memories.

Clarke walked the path in front of the rover. She couldn't have been more than two miles from the drop ship site. As her eyes scanned the remains of the charred forest before her, her eyes caught something shinning beside a stump.

She moved closer hoping to recognize the object. Clarke fell on her knees and wiped the dirt away. She laughed aloud when she realized that she had uncovered the door to the Art Supply Store.

She pulled up on the door to open it and climbed down the cold metal ladder. Her feet landed on the ground together as she hopped down from the second to last bar, and she turned to look around.

Everything was just as she and Bellamy had left it months ago.

The sheets were scattered across the bed from the last time they slept in the bunker. The candle wax was still hardened to the counter. The containers of water were still tucked away in the cabinets.

The water, Clarke realized, was still there.

She scurried over to the cabinets, desperate to find those containers. She and Bellamy had found them, but they decided to save it for any worst case scenarios they may have stumbled into.

_This _was definitely _the _worst case scenario, Clarke thought. She let out a small laugh and shook her head in awe.

She had a bed, pillows and chairs. No longer did she have to sleep on the cold metal floor of the rover or sit on its hood.

She kicked her worn boots off of her feet and crawled into the bed. For some strange yet wonderful reason, the pillow beside her had the faintest hint of Bellamy's scent, and she buried her face in it, crying herself to sleep.

She had their place to call home for the next five years, but it wasn't truly home without him.


	4. Four

**A/N: First off, I just want to say that I hope everyone is safe and well. Secondly, I just want to apologize because I completely forgot to post this chapter. I published it on Wattpad a week or two ago maybe, and I forgot to upload it here.**

**I've been working on getting ahead of these chapters since I haven't been able to go to work. I'm working on chapter 10 now, but I've also got my college classes that keep me busy. I'll be posting these chapters whenever I can, and I won't forget to post them here lol**

**As always, thank you for motivating me and let me know what you guys think!**

**Without further ado, chapters four and five :)**

* * *

Two months had passed since the blonde rediscovered the Art Supply Store. In that time, she kept tallies of each day that passed since Praimfiya, and she spent those days exploring the remnants of Trikru's territory. She gathered what she could from the top level of the drop ship, and there wasn't much left from Arkadia either.

At the beginning of the third month, she packed up the rover and said goodbye to the Art Supply Store. Stripping the bunker of several things, Clarke made the rover much more suitable for living on the road.

In the fourth month, after driving aimlessly across the ground, she saw a bird. Frankly, she thought she was losing her mind, but after she followed the bird to the top of the hill, she fell to her knees in tears.

There was greenery! There were actual green trees and green grass in a green valley. She ran back to the rover both hesitantly and eagerly, fearing that the moment she returned, it would all disappear. She shifted the rover into drive and steered it in the direction of the hill.

She climbed down from the vehicle once more but this time, onto the grass.

Clarke made her way down the slope and found herself at the bank of a river. She pulled her top over her head, and her pants fell to her ankles. Her toes pushed down on the heels of her shoes to slip her feet out and onto the ground.

Diving into the water, she momentarily let herself forget her situation. The cool, refreshing water felt wonderful against her burned and dehydrated skin. For once, she felt free as if everything were right again. As if, in a few moments, Bellamy would come down and join her. He'd splash her, pull her close, and possibly even kiss her deeply. At the end of their swim, two would dress and happily make their way back to camp hand in hand. He'd of course shake full head of dark hair in front of her, flinging droplets of water onto her dry clothes.

She wiped the water from her face and ran her hands over her wet blond hair. She looked around, hoping she'd see him climbing down the rocks to get her, but he wasn't. He wouldn't.

She was the only one left.

Clarke eventually made her way out the water, placing her clothes back on.

She made her way back up the hill into the woods. She was curious as to where she was and why this place was spared from the fiery rage of the death wave.

Clarke stepped forward pushing her way through the branches that reached across an old path. Her eyes found a wooden sign bearing the symbol belonging to what she recalled as the Shallow Valley Clan. The word on which the symbol was carved was _Shenandoah_. She was in western Virginia.

She wondered if this clan managed to survive the death wave as the valley had apparently done.

The blonde continued her journey through the green woods, eventually stumbling upon the remnants of the Louwoda Kliron Kru village.

The village, however, had still been affected by the radiation. Clarke realized that when she came across the bodies of both children and adults.

The remainder of the evening was spent before a large fire, and the following morning was spent at a round table. Clarke sat there, speaking into the radio and filling her mouth with something other than bugs or small pieces of rations. For the first time in months, she had a full stomach.

Her head stopped moving though, the moment her eyes caught a small figure just in front of the trees. Dropping both the radio and berries, she stood to call out to the small figure which seemed to be a small child.

Clarke ran after the child in attempt to make contact with it. She finally caught up to it in a small clearing and inched forward with her hands in the air.

"You're a nightblood, right?"

The child remained straight faced.

"It's okay," Clarke said stepping forward, "You can—"

She screamed allowed in pain the moment she stepped to close. A bear trap closed on her foot, and the child ran at her violently, screaming.

"Die, Fleimkeepa!"

The child pulled the knife back in shock at the realization that Clarke's blood was black too, and she, Clarke assumed, retreated into the woods, leaving Clarke alone and injured.


	5. Five

"Madi," Clarke said. The wind blew the ends of her short, blonde and pink hair in her face, and she tucked it behind her ears, "Gyon au kon bilaik bro, en oso na chichplei hashta em wen yu bak op."

_Go with your brother, and we will talk when you get back. _

"Sha, Clarke!"

The overly eager twelve-year-old had been begging her mother to give her driving lessons ever since she realized she could reach the pedal and see over the dashboard.

The brunette child took off running with Beckett, her dark-haired brother, and Clarke smiled at the sight of her two children running off towards the body of water at the base of the hill. She readjusted the third on her hip and lifter her higher before turning to head back to their home.

"Come on, sweet girl, time to go call Bellamy."

Clarke's blue eyes looked to the sky, secretly hoping she'd catch a glimpse of a dropship returning to Earth. The little girl pointed to the sky and stuttered as her mother carried her over to the steps of their porch.

"Why dula op yu chichplei op em taim he nou chichplei bakon?"

_Why do you talk to him when he doesn't talk back?_

There was something about the child's question that caused Clarke to stand speechless and unable to move.

"Because I know that if he could talk back, he would. Plus, it keeps me from going crazy."

Clarke sat down on the wooden steps beside the radio and pulled the girl into her lap.

"Can he hear you?"

"I don't know, Kai. I hope he can."

"Can I talk to him?"

"Of course you can," she held the radio out to her face, "here."

"You do it first," Kai said. Clarke chuckled and shook her head.

"Bellamy, it's me again. If you can hear me, it's been just over six years, but I'm sure you're aware of that. Anyway, Madi and Beck are out fishing for our dinner. I'm sure they'll fight over who gets the radio first later, but for now it's just me and Kai with it. Do you want to say something?"

The blonde looked over at Kai who nodded and took the radio, and Clarke stood, walking inside to grab what she needed to clean and cook the soon-to-be caught fish.

"Hi Bellamy! Can you hear me? Do you really look like the pictures that Nomi draws? She said you two are married. Madi told me what that means. Does that make you Nontu?"

Clarke was hesitant to interrupt Kai, but she leaned against the door frame and curiously listened to the curly-haired, brunette child speak.

"Can I call you that? Madi told me about families too, and if you are Nomon's family, you're my family too."

Clarke cleared her throat and stepped forward.

"Okay, kid, time to say goodbye. We can talk to Bellamy later."

"Sha, Nomon! Can Bellamy be my nontu?"

"If that's what you want; now, go get cleaned up, and you can help me cook supper when Madi and Beck get back."

"Okay! Bye Nontu!"

Clarke took the radio and raised it to her lips.

"I wasn't expecting her to ask that, but I also never expected her to call me mom or nomi. Beck and Madi call me that every now and then, around Kai mostly, but I never expected them to do so in the first place since I'm not their biological mother, obviously. I'm just the person that found them, you know, and I'm so grateful that I did because they saved me, Bell. I was in a really bad place, and I was ready to give up. I was contemplating it too, but like I said, they saved me. We've all seemed to adopt each other, and we're our own little family of natblidas. All that's missing is you and our Maya. I still wonder what she would be like by, or if she'd be safe in space with you. Anyway, I need to quit talking before I look like a blubbering idiot in front of these kids. I'll radio later, Bell. I love you"

Clarke turned the knob, cutting the radio off. She stood and walked down to meet Beckett and Madi.

"Nomon! Look!" the ten-year-old boy exclaimed. He nudged his sister to lift the rope of fish high enough for Clarke to see them.

"Good job, Beck!" Clarke looked over at Madi who gave a look, "You too, Madi. Now, Beck, go wash up. It's your turn to set the table."

The boy ran back towards the house, and Clarke watched Madi lift the fish onto the table.

"Do you remember the other day how I showed you the way to clean fish?"

Madi nodded.

"Good. You're going to do it. I'll even walk you through it. Here," Clarke said handing Madi a knife, "take the knife. Start from here and cut along the belly until you reach the base of the gills. Make sure it's a shallow incision."

"I can figure it out," Madi said with a smile as she followed Clarke's instructions.

"I'm sorry. I know you can. I just keep thinking you're the same little girl in the woods four years ago, but you're not."

"Clarke, I'm older now."

"I know. I know which is why I wanted to ask if you'd be up for driving lessons tomorrow."

"Are you serious?" Madi asked excitedly.

"Yes, I'm serious, but just because there's only four of us out here doesn't mean there aren't going to be fewer rules."

"Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!" Madi threw her arms around Clarke and hugged her tightly, "You're the best!"

"Now, what do you say, we finish getting these fish cleaned, and we'll do a story before bed."

"Can I pick the story tonight?"

"Sure, Goufa."

"Ai laik nou a goufa nou mo."

_I am not a child anymore._

"I know, but you'll always be my goufa," Clarke put her arm around the girl and kissed the top of her head. To her, Madi had grown up so quickly in the last four years they'd spent together and even before they found each other.

When she found Madi, Clarke had no idea the other two existed, and Madi kept them hidden until about the second week after meeting Clarke. As to how a seven year old kept a four year old and a less than one year old alive and hidden, Clarke had no idea.

Still after all those years, Madi had the habit of being overprotective of the younger ones, but for the most part, she relinquished her authority to Clarke.

Finished with their cooking, the two walked over to the table with the plate of fish sat down with Beckett and Kai. The fire cracked off to the side from the table bringing warmth to those who sat in the chairs.

"Beck, before we eat, can you please run over to the rover and make sure the radio is off? I can't remember if I turned it off or not."

His raven-haired head nodded before jogging over to the rover.

"Clarke!" his voice shouted, "I think I can hear something!"

Her body froze. This conversation was in her head. She was once again day dreaming over false hope.

"Beck, if this is one of your pranks, it's not funny. Really, don't do this to her."

The boy looked back at his oldest sister.

"Madi, I'm not joking!" Beckett yelled over his shoulder. There was the slight hint of frustration in his voice over the fact that she wasn't believing him.

"Clarke!"

The blonde scrambled to her feet. Her heart was racing faster than her legs could carry her over to the rover.

"Second dawn bunker, this is Raven Reyes. Come in."


	6. Six

"Raven? Raven, come in! It's me, Clarke. I'm alive."

"This is _the_ Raven, right?" Beckett whispered to Madi before she lightly smacked him on the arm.

"Yes, you idiot! What other Raven do you know of?"

"Raven! I'm on the ground. Everyone is trapped in the bunker. Do you read me? Bellamy! Somebody!"

Clarke held her breath, waiting to hear the mechanic's or any other's voice tear through the static. Her whole body shook against her control. There was nothing.

"Second dawn bunker, this is Raven Reyes. Come in."

Clarke stepped back. Her hands flew to her head; her fingers grasped at the roots of her blonde hair.

"A loop," she mumbled before kicking the rover and cursing allowed, "It's on a loop!"

She fell to the ground in a sob. She was tired of this false hope. They should have been home by now. He should have been home by now. Everything to her at the moment was just a blur.

"Beck, I'm going to take her to bed. Can you get Kai in hers?" Madi asked. Beckett nodded in response. He understood.

Her heart broke for their mother, and his did too.

"Come on, Kai. Time for bed."

"I'm not ready yet. Is Nomon okay?"

"She will be, but I need you to get in bed so Madi and I can help her."

"Why can't I help?" The youngest looked up at her brother and then over to her sister, "She ste ai nomon seintaim!"

_She is my mother too!_

Beckett looked over at Madi who nodded.

"All right. You can help. Can you lead the way and open the doors for us?"

She nodded, and he walked over to Madi and Clarke. Placing his mother's arm around his neck and one of his arms under her legs, he helped Madi carry her into their home.

They laid her down in her bed, and before the oldest two could protest, Kai climbed in beside Clarke. Madi and Beckett looked at each other before climbing in on either side of Kai and Clarke.

The family of four was alone on the ground, but they refused to let each other feel alone.

"They'll come back, Nomon. He'll come back. It's all be fine," Madi comforted.

Clarke pressed her eyelids shut as a tear rolled down her face. Things weren't fine, but in that bed with Madi on her left and Kai and Beckett on her right, she fell asleep knowing eventually she would be someday.

* * *

Bellamy stared blankly out of the window. He wasn't sure why he found himself here every morning for the last six years. It was impossible to see any sign of life on Earth from this far away, but maybe he was hoping for the impossible. Granted, there was Eden, the spot of green they had been watching for years, but the clans would have had to make something just as big to be visible from the ring.

Every morning at this window, he tore himself up over leaving his wife behind. The others were grew worried about him. Over the years, he learned to keep his grief to himself, or he would lie and simply say he was worrying over his sister.

Bellamy was pulled from his thoughts at the touch of a hand on his lower back. He didn't need to turn to see that it was Echo. She placed a kiss on his bicep.

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing," he lied, keeping his focus on the patch of green.

"You want to know if she's down there, don't you?"

"Who?"

"Any of them."

"Clarke and Maya are both dead."

"Then what's bothering you. Is it her?"

"You mean, Clarke? You can say her name, you know. It's not going to break me!" he raised his voice at the former spy before apologizing to her.

"You don't have to apologize. Look, I care about you, Bellamy. I do, and I understand if you need more time. You lost your wife and kid; if five and a half years wasn't enough for you, you can have more time and space. It's been six months since we started this; it's not too late for us to take a break if you need one."

"Echo," Bellamy said turning around to face her, "I'm fine. I promise."

He leaned over to kiss her, and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

"Now, Raven said to get ready. We're leaving for the ground in two hours."

"We're going home?"

"Yes, we are," Echo answered with a wide smile. She stood on her toes to press another kiss to his lips. "Let's go home."

* * *

**A/N:**

**I hope y'all enjoyed this chapter! I'm sorry it was short, but the next one will be out soon. There will be some Becho in this story, but Bellarke is endgame. Let me know what you guys think so far! **

**ELS**


	7. seven

This was all too familiar for Bellamy, Monty and Harper. Stepping into the unknown, the quiet, waiting for the radiation to do its job— they'd been here before.

The scenery, however, was different this time. In fact, it was different from the last time they were even on the ground. It was barren, empty and dull.

"You got anything better than 'we're back, bitches'?" Bellamy asked looking over Monty who shrugged his shoulders.

"Seems fitting."

Letting out a small laugh, Bellamy looked over at Echo.

"You okay?"

"Raven should be here," Echo said. They'd grown close; in fact, they all had.

"And she will be," Bellamy assured, "She and Murphy still have the escape pod."

"According to the computer in there, we're about an eight hour walk from Eden. We must've miscalculated," Emori said walking out of the drop ship to meet everyone else.

"That's all right. We're on the ground again; we're alive," Bellamy said, "Let's grab what we can carry and head to Eden."

* * *

Clarke slowly opened her eyes as the light shined in. All three kids remained asleep on either side of her. She stared at the rugged ceiling.

_What would she do without the love of the three of them? _

The blonde managed to untangle herself from the web of her sleeping children's bodies. She climbed to the foot of the bed and walked outside to the lake. She sat there sketching a picture of Bellamy.

Clarke quickly set her work down when heard the rustling of bushes in the woods. She rose to her feet slowly with her hand on her waistline. If it were an animal, she'd draw her gun. If it were another human, she'd have a long talk one of her children about sneaking up on her.

She crept into the woods sneaking up on the trespasser, but she stopped in the clearing when she saw it.

Another human, one that wasn't any of her children.  
It's hair was dark and rather curly. She couldn't imagine it being anyone else.

"Bellamy?" She asked holding her breath once more.

The figure froze before turning around slowly, clearly in shock.

He was obviously hallucinating. She was dead because he left her behind to die.

Both stood yards away from the other, both breathless.

"Clarke?"

The blonde found her breath and tears fell down her cheeks. Out of disbelief, they both slowly walked closer until they were mere inches apart. All four eyes were full of tears. His hands cautiously found her face. He'd been here before; only the last time, he woke from a dream when he reached out to her.

"You're alive?"

She nodded.

"I'm alive."

At that, he wrapped her tightly in his arms. He was laughing and crying; she was doing the same. He kissed the top of her blonde head.

"I've never been more happy to be so wrong."

"I've missed you so much, Bell," she cried into his chest, "I love you."

She looked up at him, their eyes meeting, and stood on her toes to kiss him. He kissed her back, desperately as if she'd disappear in a few moments, but then it hit him. _Echo_.

Bellamy pulled back. He wasn't that person anymore. He hadn't been since he and Clarke found each other in their drop ship days, and he wasn't about to try to justify with Echo either. It was wrong.

"What's wrong?"

"I need to tell you something. I'm so, so sorry, Clarke. I mean you were dead, and I—"

"What is it?"

"I'm with Echo," he said.

The air for her became so much more thin as she could feel her whole heart shattering. The man she loved and waited for was in love with someone else.

Should she have expected this? Nothing ever went as planned for them. She was crazy to think things would be just as they were when they last saw each other.

Clarke wasn't sure when her tears started again, but she stood there speechless.

"I— what?"

"Bellamy!"

Her eyes remained on her husband. They were both too heartbroken to hear their names being called by Monty.

"Bellamy? Who is— Clarke?"

Clarke turned around and wiped her eyes. Bellamy looked away and did the same. Monty could tell something was going on between the two. There always had been.

"Surprise?" Clarke half asked, trying to hide her tears.

"You're alive," he said hugging her, "but how?"

The stepped back to look at each other. He was in shock still.

"The nightblood worked."

"What's happening right now?"

"Harper!" Clarke stepped around Monty to hug her and laugh. Clarke smiled at Emori, but she forced a smile at Echo who stood in disbelief, "Where's Raven and Murphy?"

"They're, uh, coming down in an escape pod later," Bellamy answered her. He sniffled, avoiding eye contact with both women. His eyes were red and puffy, and Echo wasn't an idiot. She knew things had happened and were about to change.

"Is this everything?" Clarke asked looking at their things. Month nodded, "The village isn't far. We'll get you guys set up. There's plenty of room."


	8. Eight

Everywhere they looked there was so much color. The ground and trees were far more green than the barren land on which Spacekru first set foot on. Fabric hung from lines stretch across the path. Several worn homes were built together reminding them of their former home.

The silence, they quickly noticed, was too loud. There were twelve hundred people living here. The newcomers expected them to be about their day, but there was not one of the bunker's former occupants to be found.

"Where is everyone?" Harper asked.

They all looked around. Clarke drew a deep breath. She had to tell Bellamy she failed to rescue his sister, the most important person in his life.

"They're still in the bunker. The tower collapsed on top of the door. I tried. I really did. I was making progress, but it all came crashing down. I barely made it out of the rubble," she noticed Bellamy face. He looked away to hide his emotions. He told himself she shouldn't think this is her fault. "Bellamy, I'm sorry, but Octavia's trapped. They all are."

"It's okay, Clarke. We'll figure it out," he answered. Clarke knew that assurance was more so for himself than it was for her, and it was okay.

"How long have you been here?" Emori asked, speaking up.

"About five years. It took me a while to find this place, but it gave me a reason to live. I wasn't alone when I got here."

"What to you mean?" Bellamy looked over at her clearly puzzled by what she meant.

"I found Madi first. She couldn't have been more than six or seven at the time. It took her about a week to begin to trust me, and weeks later, she finally trusted me enough to show me the two younger ones that she managed to keep alive since Praimfiya. They're all natblidas."

"There's four of you?" Harper asked shocked.

"Yeah, they kept me sane all these years. Anyway, since there is only four of us, all of those cabins back there are empty. You guys can take whichever ones you want. We live in the big one right over there," Clarke pointed, "I think it might have been a store once upon a time."

"Clarke!"

All heads turned to face the structure they assumed was Clarke's home. A boy with black hair ran out to her. He stood by her side cautious of the strangers around them.

"Chon ste emo?" Beckett asked looking up at Clarke. She chuckled and ruffled his hair.

_Who are they?_

"They speak both languages, you know. This is Bellamy, Monty, Harper, Emori and Echo," Clarke said looking at the group, "This is Beck."

"You're Bellamy?" Beckett asked eagerly. "So you were actually one of the hundred on the dropship?"

"I mean I wasn't supposed to be on it, but yeah I was one of them." He wasn't exactly proud of that moment, but he'd do it again if it meant saving Octavia and meeting Clarke.

"I know. Clarke told us the story of how you shot Chancellor Jaha to go to the ground and protect your sister. I'd do that for either of my sisters and Clarke."

Bellamy chuckled. Clearly Clarke had been telling them stories.

"You know. I'm not the only one who was on that drop ship. Monty and Harper were too."

"I have to tell Madi! Clarke, can I go get her?"

The boy bounced with excitement. Clarke laughed.

"Yes, but then you two and Kai need to go gather food," Clarke said, but Beckett took off before she could finish.

"You look like you have your hands full." Harper smiled. She'd always dreamed of a family.

It was lonely on the ring, and there was never a good time to start while on the ground. It was a scary place with grounders, mountain men and AIs. Sure, some of those things were of the past, but she never wanted Monty and herself to go through what Bellamy and Clarke went through with their baby.

"It's not as much as it looks. They're good about looking after themselves when they want to."

Once again, the groups heads turned back in the direction of the Clarke's home.

"Madi, come on! They're really out here!"

"Beck, you really need—No way! You guys are really here! Kai, hurry up! Bellamy's here!"

The three children ran back out to the group of adults. The two oldest were more social, but the youngest stood behind Clarke.

"You guys are actual grounders?" Madi asked eagerly. Clarke tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey, if my memory serve correct, you three are technically grounders."

"Yeah, but they're actual grounders."

"I'm not sure what that means, but I'm glad you find us the least bit interesting since everything here seems to be about Bellamy," Emori laughed.

"I always wanted to be an Azgeda spy like you," Madi asked looking up to Echo, "Can you teach me how to be one?"

"If that's okay with Clarke."

"Clarke?" Madi looked up at her mother.

"We'll talk about it later. Right now, you guys need to go gather food. I'm sure they're all tired and hungry."

Clarke felt an instant pang of jealously that she'd never felt before. Echo was a sensitive topic for her right now. It hurt to hear her name come from her daughters lips so eagerly. She'd taken her husband. Was she trying to win her daughter over? No, she shouldn't think like that; Echo was innocent in this. They thought Clarke was dead. She shouldn't be jealous.

"Nontu?" the small brunette said. Her mother froze. She looked up at Bellamy, and everything grew awkward. None of them were stupid. They knew what she was calling him.

"Oh no way! Monty is here! He's so cool!" Monty interjected in a failed attempt to smother the awkwardness. Harper elbowed him.

"I," Clarke stuttered and rambled, "I'm sorry. She just asked if she could call you that, and I didn't think it would cause any harm because of us but then—"

"Clarke, it's fine," he said crouching down to introduce himself to the child, "really."

He tucked a piece of hair behind Kai's ear. She reminded him of Octavia at that age—young, innocent. His heart yearned for his sister who once spent her life hiding under the floor, confined to a room. His sister who was now confined to and trapped inside a bunker.

"I've got to take care of something, but you guys help yourselves. Madi and Beckett, you can help them get settled, and then you three go get food, okay?"

Clarke backed away slowly before scurrying over to the wooden church. Vines of ivy covered it, but it was beautiful nonetheless.

"She goes there to think when she get's upset," Beckett said. Madi elbowed him, and he winced. "Ow! That hurt."

"I'm gonna go check on her," Bellamy said looking at Echo.

Echo only nodded before grabbing her things, and Bellamy took off after the blonde. The spy drew in a deep breath before asking Madi where to put her things. Things were about to change.


	9. Nine

Bellamy walked up the wooden steps of the old church. This place had survived the end of the world twice, yet it was still beautiful. It held so much history, just as he and Clarke did— do, actually.

He couldn't believe she'd changed so much since the last time he saw her. He never thought she'd ever be a mother again with his believing she was dead and all. He struggled with remembering their names off the top of his head— Clarke's kids. He'd just met them this morning and was always terrible with names, but they were helping everyone else get settled.

He's still comprehending the fact that she's alive and not dead. Could they ever go back to the way things were before Praimfiya? Before Maya?

The door creaked as he pulled it open, and the floors creaked just as loud as the door with every step he took further inside the church.

"This place is beautiful," he said, looking all around. The bright colors from the stained glass rested on her short blonde hair and the section of floor between her pew and the altar.

She looked different now, but he supposed he did too. After all, it had been six years.

"Can we talk?"

"We have nothing to talk about," she said, clearly upset. Her head remained facing forward at the large, dusty wooden cross on the wall.

She wasn't very religious as far as he knew. Religion wasn't big on the Ark or the ground, but maybe it was her place. Her sanctuary. The one they once claimed as theirs, the Art Supply Store, was too far and undoubtedly destroyed.

"There's a lot to talk about. I thought you were dead, but somehow you and three kids survived the end of the world."

He walked over to the window beside her and stared into the colors.

"That's all there is to it."

"It isn't, and you know it. There's so much we need talk about."

"No," she stated blankly as she rose from her seat to leave, "no, there isn't, Bellamy."

"Clarke, yes there is," he stopped her with his hand on her wrist, "We're married; we're supposed to talk about things."

She spun around to face him pulling her arm from him.

"That didn't seem to mean much to you! Did it?"

"You know that's not true, Clarke!"

They were both somehow closer now, almost as close as they were in the woods. Breathless from shouting at each other, they both fought back tears.

"You could have waited," she whispered tearfully.

"How?" He asked stepping back. His hands flew in the air. "Was I supposed to wait around for my dead wife? How was I supposed to know you were still alive? I watched the world go up in flames with you in it! Do you know what that's like?"

The blonde remained quiet.

"And you know what, I did wait! I waited for you before with Maya and Lexa, and then I waited on the ring for five and a half years!"

"Don't you bring them into this!" She pointed at his chest. He knew he shouldn't have after he said it.

"I waited, and I grieved you up until this moment right now. Six years, Clarke! That's how long I spent thinking my wife was dead. I mean what the hell was I supposed to do?"

"I don't know."

"I found Echo after five an a half years. I turned to her for comfort, and she was there. I lost my wife and daughter. You have to understand. I was dead inside; she made me feel things again. I was almost happy. It was nothing compared to what I felt for you and the happiness of being with you, but it was something."

"I'm so sorry, Bellamy," she cried. They were both breaking again, and he changed his tone.

"Don't you dare apologize," he said cupping her face, "You saved all of us."

"Does it matter if I've lost the person I'm in love with?"

"You didn't lose me. I'm still here."

"That's not what I'm talking about, Bellamy. I spent those same years waiting and hoping for you to come home. I didn't know if you were alive or dead. I didn't know if I made the right choice by staying behind. Should I have come back to spend our last few moments in each other's arms before Praimfiya consumed us? Did I make the right choice by being left behind to live out the rest of my life alone wondering if I had failed to save you? I—"

"You did. You made the right choice. You didn't fail me, Clarke. If anything, I failed you. I shut the door to the rocket. I gave up on you, and I'm so, so sorry, Clarke," he cried.

"Clarke, tell me what to do," he pressed his forehead against hers. "You're the head, and I'm the heart. Please, Princess."

_Princess_. She hated that name. Finn called her that; Bellamy called her that. She thought it was consumed with everything else on Earth in Praimfiya. She was certain she would never hear it again from him, but here it was rolling off his lips. It survived the end of the world just as they had, as this old church had.

"Bellamy," she cried softly, "I can't decide this one. You know that's not mine to make."


	10. ten

"Hey," Echo said solemnly as Bellamy walked into the cabin. She knew they needed to talk, but he also needed to process this. "Do you want to talk about it?"

She sat at the old table for two, and he paced the floor.

"I don't know. I just can't wrap my head around the fact that she's here. She's alive."

"She is."

"And Octavia," he leaned back in the chair, "She's still trapped in that bunker, if it even worked."

"She is."

The sat in silence, and he stopped pacing. Instead, he sat down across from her with his elbows on the table and his hands in his hair.

"I kissed Clarke in the woods when I saw her," he admitted, leaning back in his seat. Echo knew it was bound to happen from the moment she saw her. "Her heart broke when I told her about you too. I've never seen her like that before. It was different from when Finn, Wells, Maya and Lexa died. She was grieving then. This was pure hurt, like I betrayed her."

"You didn't."

"Yes! I did! All I ever wanted to give her was happiness. She's sacrificed so much for me and everyone else that she deserves happiness, and I just took it away from her so quickly."

"Bellamy, you deserve happiness too."

"Not like she does. You know, I was finally starting to feel it again with you, but-"

"But it wasn't what you felt with her?"

All he wants to do is run to Clarke and never let her go, but he doesn't want to hurt the woman in front of him, the woman who saved him from darkness.

"Echo-"

"You thought she was dead, Bellamy, and here she is, alive. Not everyone gets that second chance, but you two got it."

"I don't want to hurt you."

"She's your wife. Go to her."

"I don't want to lose you."

"You won't lose me. If there's one thing I learned on the ring with you guys, it's how much your people value family. You're my family- you and Raven, Emori, Harper, Monty and even Murphy."

They both let out a soft laugh.

"But you also have a family here with her, and those kids- they idolize you. So don't you worry about me, Bellamy Blake. I will be fine; we will be fine."

* * *

Bellamy walked back to the church where he left Clarke. He couldn't remember the last time he had a smile this wide on his face. He was about to Clarke they would go back the way they left each other on the day that Praimfiya hit.

He looked up at the once blue sky. It was now dark, eerily so. The wind picked up and leaves blew everywhere as Clarke ran out of her home.

"Clarke!"

He jogged over to the blonde who cut him off before he could say anything. He extended his arms out for her to hold onto. Her hair blew every which way.

"Bellamy, there's a storm coming. It looks like it's going to be bad. I think it might be a hurricane or a nor'easter. Either way it'll be bad. We need to get everyone inside."

"Okay. Where are the kids? I'll warn them."

"Oh, God!"

She gasped and stood frozen her spot.

"What?"

"I sent them out to get food. They're out there in the woods. They probably can't tell how dark it's getting because of the trees."

"I'll take the rover and go get them."

"No. I'll go. You don't know the land or where they'd go."

"Fine, but I'm coming with you."

"Clarke! Bellamy! What's going on?" Harper asked running out of her and Monty's newly claimed home.

"There's a really bad storm coming. Get the other's and get to my cabin. It's elevated higher than the rest of them. We've got to go get the kids."

By now, Monty, Murphy, Echo and Emori had all left their cabins to find an explanation for the commotion outside. Clarke climbed into the driver's seat while Bellamy climbed into the passenger's seat.

"You sure you don't want me to drive?"

"Yeah. I was always the better driver anyway," she smirked as she pressed the gass pedal. Hard drops of rain began to fall on the windshield. It picked up its speed with every drop.

* * *

The group sat quietly in Clarke's cabin they'd been gone for about fifteen minutes now. The weather had gotten worse since they left. Outside was a torrential downpour of rain. Thunder crashed all around. Distant flashes of lightening beamed through the windows. The wind howled.

They had to admit. Clarke had made a nice home for herself and the kids. Drawings of all their friends hung on the walls. Monty stood and walked over to one. He reached out to Jasper's portrait.

He was laughing in front of the drop ship. The goggles were still on his head.

Their heads turned to the front door at the sound of footsteps coming up to the house. Evidently it didn't take long for the two to find the kids.

The wooden door opened wide, and the three natblidas tumbled in. The shut the door before reaching for the towels that hung beside the door. Madi dried herself quickly and moved on to help Kai.

"Um, where's Bellamy and Clarke?" Emori asked looking at the oldest two.

"They aren't here?" Madi asked. She could tell by their faces her answer wasn't what they were expecting. "Where are they?"

"They took the rover to go get you guys."


	11. eleven

The wind was picking up by now. Rain was falling harder from the sky. The wiper blades on the rover's windshield were not moving fast enough.

"Clarke, slow down," Bellamy urged. "It's too dangerous. We need to turn around."

She slammed her foot against the brakes, and the rover screeched to a halt.

"No! I can't leave them!"

He watched her face as her eyes filled with tears. He could almost see the lump in her throat as she tried to keep from crying.

"I know. I know, Clarke, but they're smart. I'm sure they know what to do. They're probably back at the cabin by now."

"What makes you so sure? You don't know them."

"No, I don't, but if they're anything like the Clarke I know, there's nothing they can't handle."

"Okay," she breathed, "okay." Clarke wiped her eyes and sniffled. She leaned forward to switch the built in communication system on. "I'm just going to see if I can reach the cabin."

"Good idea."

She raised the radio to her lips.

"Monty, Harper, anyone, this is Clarke. Can you hear me?"

"Clarke, it's Monty. Are you guys okay?"

"Yeah. Yeah. Are the kids with you? Did they ever make it back?"

"Yeah," Clarke leaned her head back in her seat. The radio fell to her lap, "They showed up about fifteen minutes after you guys left."

"Oh thank God," Clarke breathed as Monty continued to talk. Bellamy reached over and squeezed her hand before taking the radio.

"Alright, we're going to try to head back to the cabin. If not, we'll-"

He was cut off by the sound of Clarke screaming his name. A loud crash followed her cries, and the glass shattered. They sat for a moment in shock.

"Come on. We need to get in the back," Clarke said turning around to move to the back section of the rover. Bellamy followed.

Bellamy watched while the blonde dug through the pile of things by the wall. She smiled when she found what she was looking for. The two took a tent and hung it up behind the driver and passenger seats creating somewhat of a wall.

"Smart," Bellamy mumbled.

"Hopefully it'll keep most of the wind and rain off of us."

"What do we do know?"

They both fell back onto the floor across from each other.

"Wait it out, and I guess walk back when it's over."

He reached his hand out to her head.

"Hold up. You've got something on you," he said pulling his hand pack to look at the thick, black stuff on his fingers.

"That's blood," Clarke said.

"Right," he said awkwardly, "I forgot that you're-"

"A natblida, yeah."

He looked out to the side to see a dirty, worn box. Bellamy leaned back over to grab it and opened it up. Clarke rolled her eyes.

"Bellamy, I'm fine."

"Really? The blood running down your face says otherwise. Please, just let me."

"All right, fine," she huffed.

"Thank you," he paused as opened the med kit, "Now, I may not be a doctor, but I did pick up a thing or two from one."

Clarke laughed aloud.

"There," Bellamy said, "good as new, Princess."

She lifted her head back to look up at him as he moved over and kissed her forehead. He lowered his head and pressed it against her forehead where his lips once were.

"I talked to Echo-," he whispered. Clarke pulled back and leaned against the wall of the rover.

"Good for you. Can we not talk about-"

"You didn't let me finish."

"By all means, Bellamy, please, finish."

Clarke tossed her hands in the air in slight frustration and sat up straight.

"She understands that after all those years of thinking you were dead, you're still my wife and that I'm still your husband."

"And what is that supposed to mean- that she understands?"

"It means that she understands why I had to choose you."

"You didn't have to choose me, Bellamy. I was dead. You've been a widower for six years."

"That's the thing, Clarke. You never were! Six years ago, I vowed that I would love you until death do us part, and that means even after you've defeated death!"

"Well, you married the commander of death. What did you expect?"

"Ladies and gentlemen," Bellamy said, "Clarke Griffin makes a joke!"

Clarke laughed. She stopped when she noticed him grinning at her. She smiled.

"What?"

"I'm glad you're alive."

"Me too."

Silence fell in the back of the rover. The two sat there, staring into each other's eyes until Bellamy repositioned himself closer to Clarke. Their noses almost touched as one's lips grew closer to the other's lips. Soon their lips met and moved together hungrily. Both hearts couldn't care less about coming up for air. He could suffocate for all he cared. At least, he would die happily. The two did pull away, but only long enough for Bellamy to pull her shirt over her head and for Clarke to do the same to him. He missed this. He missed her. Six years was a long time without her touch, and he needed her. His lips found her neck, and her hands grasped onto the back of his head.

It all came to an end, though, at the sound of a voice over the radio. Clarke released her grip on her husband, and he panted burying his head in the crook of her bare neck. Bellamy felt her tap his arm, and he moved back. Clarke reached for the radio.

"What's wrong, Beck?"

"Kai won't sleep. She wants you."

Clarke sighed. Although she was frustrated that she and Bellamy were interrupted, she was somewhat glad the child needed her. Clarke was dreading the day Kai would grow up and would no longer need her. She was her little girl, the youngest one, after all, and once Kai was gone, there would be no more birds in her metaphorical nest.

"Put her on."

Beckett did just so. Clarke knew the solution to Kai's refusal to sleep in her absence was a story. Clarke asked which story she wanted to hear, and she listed every single story she knew of until she ran out of them. Bellamy took the radio from her hands and offered to tell a story.

Bellamy begins to speak telling the story of Romulus and Remus. Clarke thinks that before Praimfiya, his stories would practically bore her to death, but in this moment, she wants nothing more than to listen to his voice tell about the founding of Rome, even if she has no interest in the subject.

She's missed him horribly for the last six years. All she cares is that he's alive, well, and here with her. Clarke moves across to the other side of the rover. She ducks under his free arm and rests her head on his bare chest. His hand falls back down on her bare waste as he speaks into the radio with his other hand, and for the first time in over half of a decade, she's truly happy.


	12. twelve

The air smelled of the night's recent thunderstorm. She wasn't quite sure where she was at the moment, and frankly, she was hesitant to move being unsure of whose bare chest her head rested on. Someone shouldn't be here, she thought. She and the kids were the only ones on the ground. The person beneath her head stirred, and she opened her eyes.

Bellamy Blake. She remembered it all now. Why she woke up disoriented was a mystery to herself, but Clarke sighed nonetheless and moved closer into his warm body. She was drawn to the heat his body put off as he slept.

The blonde's eyes landed on some debris that had been blown into the back of the rover. She recalled the events during last night's storm. She missed him so much, but looking back, she knew their six years of separation was the only way to save everyone. She made the right choice by stopping Emerson even if it meant facing the inevitable death wave.

Clarke looked up at Bellamy as he slept. She wondered for what seemed to be the trillionth time if Maya would have his dimples or his tanned skin or even his curly hair. Sure, she imagined for years, but she was able to picture it now as she laid next to him for the first time in over half a decade.

Clarke was pulled from her thoughts by the movement of his hand against her bare back.

"You awake?"

"Yeah."

Clarke looked up at Bellamy. He pressed a kiss onto the top of her head and mumbled what she could assume was good morning. She forced a smile.

"Morning."

"What's on your mind, Princess?"

"I," she started but hesitated. She pondered telling him of their child's fate but quickly decided against it. He shouldn't have feel that same pain she felt the day that Emerson enlightened her. He didn't deserve it, and as she told herself, she was protecting him, "It's nothing."

"It's never nothing with you. There's always something going on inside that beautiful, brilliant head of yours." Clarke sigh and looked up at him again. Her lips never parted as she gave a soft smile. "You can tell me, you know." Her eyes left his.

"I don't want to be a burden," her voice cracked.

" You, Clarke Blake, will never be a burden. I made you a promise in Mount Weather and on the day I married you, and now, I'm making that same promise again. Okay? Together. That means I'm going to help you carry your burdens because you're not alone, and I'm going to carry them for you when you can't. You don't have to tell me anything, not until you're ready and only if you want. Just now, you're not alone. You have me and our friends, and you have three, exceptionally amazing children."

"Ours," she mumbled into his chest, but he didn't understand her words.

"What?"

"Ours," she repeated, her smile beaming, "Our three, exceptionally amazing children. You said it yourself. We're in this together."

"Are they okay with me being-"

"Bellamy, they're okay with it. Trust me. They've seen you as a parental figure since the day I began telling them about you, and you heard Kai yesterday."

Bellamy smiled and kissed Clarke.

"I never thought I'd have this again,"

"What's that?"

"A family. And I know nothing can ever replace the little one we lost, but somehow we have one again."

"Bellamy, what if I ruin it?"

"That's not. You're not going to ruin it."

"But I will. I'm the reason we lost Maya. What if we lose the kids and I'm the reason something happens to them?"

"What?"

"I said what if it's my fault something happens and we lose the kids."

"No before that- about Maya. You said you were the reason we lost Maya."

Clarke could feel the tears welding in her eyes as the air around them grew heavy. It didn't take long before she burst into tears.

"I- I'm so sorry, Bellamy. It's all my fault."

"Clarke?" It was his turn to feel the tears weld in his eyes, and he could feel the lump in his throat as he tried to manage his reaction to her confession, "What do you mean?"

"I'm the reason she's gone. Emerson- he was the one who took her, and if I had taken his life when I had the chance or if we hadn't angered Azgeda when we joined the coalition or when Lexa killed Nia, then maybe they wouldn't have had him take her. It's all my fault."

"How? How do you know all of this?"

"I had just alined the satellite dish on the tower, and I was about to head back to Becca's lab. I would have made it in time, and when I turned to run, Emerson, he was standing there. He started saying all these things about how easy it was to get into the camp and some deal with Azgeda and how he was going to avenge the people in Mount Weather. He took her, Bellamy. He took our baby from us, and it was because of me."

Clarke sat up leaning forward and sobbed, and Bellamy sat up too. He placed his hand on her.

"Hey, hey, look at me." She shook her head. "Look at me, Clarke," his voice cracked with emotion in his to suppress his impending sobs, "Princess, please, look at me."

He moved his hand to cup her cheek and gently turned her head to him. His thumb wiped away a tear.

"That was not your fault!"

"But it is. I agreed to join the coalition, and I pulled the lever in the mountain."

"It wasn't. It wasn't your fault," Bellamy whispered as he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her back into him. He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly as she sobbed quietly, "It's not your fault."


End file.
